


Divergent: I Choose You

by lady05giggles



Category: Divergent - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-16 01:18:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16075352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady05giggles/pseuds/lady05giggles
Summary: Illinois is on the verge of Civil War. To bring peace, President Andrew Prior decided Factions should be allowed to have personal relationships. The way to do this is by having their new leader, Beatrice Prior, date and maybe marry a Dauntless member, a faction that is completely opposite of them. Such an arrangement is not so easy.





	1. Reference List

**Author's Note:**

> Rated M for violence, sexual scenes, and language. All rights belong to the lovely Veronica Roth. All rights belong to any company or brand mentioned in the story. Your likes, favorites and reviews are welcome, but I want to finish this story no matter what.

**Summary** : The state of Illinois is on the verge of civil war. Factions are fighting, with a threat of a rebellion. In order to bring peace to their home, the Abnegation faction, the faction who currently operates Chicago's government, has decided factions should be allowed to have a professional and personal relationship, led by former President, Andrew Prior. The way to do this is by having the new leader, Beatrice Prior, date and hopefully marry a Dauntless member, a faction that is completely opposite of them. Beatrice Prior is willing to do anything to prevent war, even sacrifice her personal life. But such an arrangement is not so easy.

* * *

 

 **A/N** : In my Divergent story, I want to expand the Divergent world. I made some changes that you can refer to in this chapter. I will try to explain it as best as I can, but let me know if you have questions. I am really excited to expand on the story Veronica Roth wrote. I really enjoyed her books, but I think there are areas that could have been expanded on. I hope to rewrite the original story that includes the additions I have made here. The story will have Beatrice and 3rd person point of view, but I will make sure to state it at the top when there is a change. 

A few changes to the Divergent Story are everyone is older and more adult. This makes my story a little more realistic. The government is set up differently, where there are faction council leaders that represent specific factions, and an overall President that represents everyone in Illinois usually voted and traditionally Abnegation members because abnegation members vote the most, and people find the faction most trustworthy. 

 

* * *

 

 

Factions- small, organized, dissenting group within a larger one, American Institutions:

  * Abnegation - the act or an instance of denying oneself some rights, conveniences, possession, etc. Likes to do things to help people and solving social problems, generally avoids using machines, tools, or animals to achieve a goal. Sees self as helpful, friendly, and trustworthy: State Government, Teaching/ Counseling, Nursing, Giving First Aid



 

originally posted by [thisismeprayingthat](http://thisismeprayingthat.tumblr.com/post/47781738337/divergent-faction-posters-vintage-style)

  * Artistry (NEW) - a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria. Values the creative arts -- like drama, music, art, or the works of creative writers. Sees self as expressive, original, and independent: Entertainment Industry.



 

Credit: [Larry G. Macguire](https://larrygmaguire.com/the-artists-manifesto/)

  * Amity - mutual understanding and a peaceful relationship, especially between oneself, factions and the environment they live in. Values practical things you can see, touch, and use like plants and animals, tools, equipment, or machines. Sees self as peaceful, practical, and realistic: Food and Water/ Drinks Production, Agriculture, Animal, and Plant Care.



 

originally posted by [thisismeprayingthat](http://thisismeprayingthat.tumblr.com/post/47781738337/divergent-faction-posters-vintage-style)

  * Dauntless - not to be daunted or intimidated; fearlessness and determination; bold, considered heroic: Military/Police, Fire Department, and Emergency Technicians.



 

originally posted by [thisismeprayingthat](http://thisismeprayingthat.tumblr.com/post/47781738337/divergent-faction-posters-vintage-style)

  * Candor- the state of being open and sincere in speech or expression; candidness; freedom from bias; fairness; impartiality. Sees self as energetic, ambitious, and honest: The US Supreme Court, Legal System, and Judges, News



 

originally posted by [thisismeprayingthat](http://thisismeprayingthat.tumblr.com/post/47781738337/divergent-faction-posters-vintage-style)

  * Erudite - characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly. Likes to work with numbers, records, or machines in a set, orderly way; generally avoids ambiguous, unstructured activities. Sees self as precise, scientific, and intellectual.: Medical System, Education, Science, Technology, Math, Banks, and Financial Institutions



 

originally posted by [thisismeprayingthat](http://thisismeprayingthat.tumblr.com/post/47781738337/divergent-faction-posters-vintage-style)

  * Ingenious (NEW)- clever, original, and inventive: Engineering, Labor, Business



 

Logo Credit to [Ingenious Living](http://www.ingenious-living.com/)

Credit: [Thesaurus.plus](https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/ingenious_device)

  * Factionless - people who have failed in the other factions, a group who are considered dangerous and/ or are unlawful, one not part of a group or organization: Homeless, Criminals



Credit: [Divergent Wiki](http://divergent.wikia.com/wiki/Factionless)

* * *

 

People are not just in Chicago but live in different parts of the state of Illinois. Chicago is where major State events occur.

  * Amity: Peoria
  * Dauntless & Artistry: Chicago
  * Abnegation & Candor: Springfield
  * Erudite & Ingenious: Aurora



Credit: On the World Map

* * *

 

Being Divergent means something different. There was human experimentation before the war and now have superhuman abilities. Divergent- tending to be different or develop in different directions. Differing from each other and faction. 

Credit: [Divergent Band](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUzpvyZ0bwGAQZXL0Aio44A)

Have one or more of these abilities (not all abilities will appear in this story):

  1. Easily adaptable, and able to function in all factions,
  2. Learn faster,
  3. Stronger,
  4. Heal faster,
  5. Sixth Sense- subtle perception ability,


  * Clairvoyance- the ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception.
  * Out-of-body experience- being able to observe oneself and others from a distance.
  * Precognition- psychic ability to see events in the future



Telepathy- transmission of information from one person to another vastly

* * *

 

Finally, these are the Characters, with ideal looks, of the story (disregard acting ability). Here is my inspiration board on Pinterest too: [Pinterest AU: Divergent I Choose You](https://www.pinterest.com/lady05giggles/divergent-au-i-choose-you/)

Beatrice Prior, President of Illinois

                        

Natalie Prior

Andrew Prior

Tobias "Four" Eaton

Marcus Eaton

Evelyn Johnson

 

Erudite Leader

 

Amity Leader

Candor Leader

Dauntless Leader

Ingenious Leader

Artistry Leader


	2. President Andrew Prior

**(BANG!…. BANG!)**

The gun shots rang loudly on this snowy day in Chicago, Illinois.

The state had been far removed from gunshots; at least 100 years from the war that destroyed the once great country of the United States of America, World War III. What was left was no longer United States, but pockets of people, who striven for peace no matter how they achieve it.

The state of Illinois did that by creating a new government system that still functions. There have been no major incidents since. But today, it feels like the violence of the past had reared its ugly head.

Andrew Prior, the leader of Abnegation and the elected President of Illinois, dressed in his grey slacks and heavy grey button up uniform, is now covered in red.

He was walking out the council meeting room, smiling. Crowds of people, dressed in their faction uniforms were waiting to celebrate the decision just made. Months now, faction representatives had debated, more like argued, whether faction members should be allowed to interact with each other professionally and personally.

People are segregated into seven factions of their choosing; Amity the peaceful, Abnegation the selfless, Artistry the creative, Candor the truthful, Dauntless the brave, Erudite the intelligent, and Ingenious the inventive. Faction members are not only divided by career, uniform, and politics, but also socially, but Andrew Prior wanted to end that.

Andrew preached to the council, a few to death ears, "In order to truly create a society of peace, we must not create false conflict. Our society has been built by segregation, but we need to encourage our faction members to connect academically, professionally and socially. Faction before blood turns friends and family into rivals and enemies. This must end now."

The vote was clear with 3 council members representing each faction:

12 members for the policy (Amity, Abnegation, Artistry, and Ingenious),

3 neutral (all the members of Candor, the usual), and

6 against (Erudite and Dauntless).

It was surprising that both Erudite and Dauntless representatives voted against it when their actual members voted in favor by 71%. Nonetheless their leaders made the decision for them.

The law would go into effect anyways.

Faction members will be working together professionally in advancing the society, and are now allowed to interact with each other during their personal time, freely. Faction before blood was no more. The announcement was made across televisions and live podcasts in people's homes and community centers. Celebrations have begun. Even though some members were nervous about the change, people could see their families again. People could get the help they needed. Friends can even become lovers.

But it all died with Andrew Prior.

(BANG, BANG!)

People in the crowd screamed and chaos broke out with the gun shots. Dauntless security rush to the gunman, who looks to be dressed in dirty ragged clothes of white, black, and yellow, a factionless man, unexpectedly.

Andrew Prior was a proponent of building better relationship with the factionless, the homeless and uninitiated of the society, and giving them more representation in the government. Many people found that to be crazy, but not Andrew Prior. He represented the people, respected the people of Illinois. He believed in change that betters people. So why would a factionless member kill him?

Faction leaders were forced back inside the lobby by more dauntless security, trying their hardest to contain the situation. They now stood in a round room surrounded by glass, the council building, which should be considered unsafe.

But the damage was already done.

Natalie Prior, Andrew's wife and Abnegation ambassador, held Andrew's dying body up with his arm wrapped over her shoulders. Her pain made her weak, and she couldn't carry him anymore. She drops to her knees, as his breath became labored. She laid him on the floor, trying to be careful.

"Somebody! Please get help!" She said desperately, as she used her knowledge of emergency medicine to try to save her husband. She only knew enough to fix up factionless' cuts and bruises, not enough to deal with bullet wounds to the chest.

"Natalie, it is too late." Dr. Jeanine Matthews confirms, in her perfect blue dress, fit for the leader of Erudite.

"Nooo!" Natalie yelled at the leader, doing whatever she could to help him. The rest of the council leaders and representatives looked at her sympathetically, sorrowfully, pitifully. Marcus Eaton, an Abnegation Council member, looked at the scene despondently.

Marcus and Andrew were close, working together through many problems together. Marcus was always in agreement with Andrew, even when Andrew was considered wrong.

Despite that, Andrew never trusted Marcus because he knew too much of the man. In reality, Andrew only worked so closely with him, always keeping an eye on him. That was why he didn't give him second in command.

Andrew gave it to the person he trusted and believed in most.

Natalie was desperate and panicked. She only stopped when her husband placed his bloody hand on her cheek. She thinks it was a gesture of love, but he is trying to tell her something; 'Look Natalie.' She got the message, and turned to see a small blonde 25-year-old woman, dressed in a simple long grey Abnegation dress fit for a leader in training. She looked frightened, with tears falling from her eyes. It was their daughter, Beatrice. That did it; Natalie broke down crying over Andrew's body.

Beatrice rushed to her mother comforting her, which was ironic considering the situation. Beatrice was unsure what to do now, but watch a piece of her die. This had to be the worst moment of her life. But she looked to her father, and he was smiling, still. He reached for his daughter, wanting her to come closer. She leaned down close to his face.

"Don't give up sweetheart, don't ever give up. They need you now, and you will be great for them." He whispered to his daughter with his last breath.

Why would he tell her this? Because now she takes over his job. Beatrice Prior is the leader of Abnegation and the leader of the people of Illinois.

What the hell was she going to do?


	3. Pre-interview

**3 years later**

****

**President Beatrice Prior Point of View**

"You do not have to go through with this." My mother tells me for I am pretty sure the 100th time while brushing my hair into a neat professional bun. Not so easy since I decided to cut my hair to give it a more relatable look.

"I know, but we’re in the exact same place before the Faction Freedom Act went into place," I say turning towards my mother. "Someone has to start interacting with another faction member, and I should set the example.”

We are in a changing room at the Candor's news headquarters, not much farther from Abnegation, since they are both located in Springfield. I wish it was farther. I needed more time to calm my nerves and prepare for my interview with a Candor journalist. Her name is Katherine, and she encouraged me to relax, and answer the questions honestly during my pre-interview.

Easy for her to say; she’s not announcing to the world 'Single and willing to date a Dauntless member.' I’m looking at myself in the mirror uneasy, but in order for my father's life mission to work, I have to take charge.

I am the president after all.

I give myself one last glance in the mirror and toughen up, putting my confident leader face on. I started to have one after my first year as a leader when everyone, including council members of Abnegation, was walking all over me, trying to tell me what to do. I got so frustrated one day, I cried in my office. I hate when I cry.

My mother came to visit me, most likely because my assistant, Susan Black, asked her to calm me down. Mom told me stories of how my father was prettified when he first became the leader at the age of 30 years old. The first thing he learned was he cannot let other faction leaders not respect him. He was voted by the people of Illinois to be their President, so he had to represent them. ‘Sometimes you have to be independent when you have to lead groups of people,’ was what he always told me when I was training.

My father developed his leader mask, as my mother called it. Stiff stern body, no smile, but kind eyes. It showed that he was willing to listen, but never be controlled. I am still working on mine, but I think I got it down despite my child like stature.

I stand up, straightening my long grey maxi dress, with short sleeves. My mother and I decided on this dress to keep with Abnegation traditions, while still looking approachable and casual to other factions.

It is one of the things I like about the new policy. People are allowed to dress down a little bit, when we are not at work, as long as they still represent their faction in some way, usually by color. A compromise made by the Erudite leader, Dr. Jeanine Matthews. I think she wanted people to always know who were the smartest people were, and their blue uniforms and unnecessary glasses represented that.

"I wished you didn't have to be on the news. Your life is so public already." My mother continued, always worried about me and my privacy.

“I know, but remember, it was my idea to do the Candor interview. I had no other way to make my announcement.” I want to tell the people of Illinois I will be dating members from other factions, specifically Dauntless, the opposite faction of Abnegation.

I didn't know any other way to show I was willing to go on dates with Dauntless members, the people who protect Illinois. What was I going to do, walk into Dauntless headquarters and ask out the first male member I see? I needed another way to show I was serious in encouraging Faction members to interact with each other.

My mother still looks worried. "Don't worry about me, mom. I am used to it by now."

 I am used to publicity. I am the first female leader of Abnegation. I am the youngest leader ever. That even includes Dauntless, who elects young leaders anyways. As it is, their second in command, Eric Coulter, is only 30 years old. But I beat him by being 25 years old when I first started. Now 28, this gives a lot of people interests in me.

Erudite, the faction who believes in knowledge and deals with the science and math in our society, is constantly looking into every decision I make, examining if it is a sound or not. Artistry, the faction who believes in the Arts and creates the entertainment in our society, had a documentary made about me. And Candor, the faction who believes in honesty and deals with our law and information flow in our society, writes about everything I do. It is never gossip, but they will do anything and everything to capture the truth about me. That is why I do interviews and publicity stunts, so I have control what gets out. When I go home is when I can be myself.

This will be my first live interview though where I openly discuss my personal life. I usually only talk about politics and the betterment of our society, so there is no room to mess up. As it is, Max Phifer, the leader of Dauntless, never saw me fit to be the leader. He doesn’t provide me security and won't even talk to me outside of council meetings.

I don’t fault him for it. When I first became a leader, I was very quiet in front of the faction leaders and council members. I let Marcus Eaton, an Abnegation council member and now second in command, make all the decisions and speak for Abnegation. Abnegation is known to be selfless, and Marcus has been a member of Abnegation longer then I have been alive, working very closely with my father. So I thought Marcus taking the lead would be best. I was too scared to mess up and make a bad decision.

But I loved meeting people. I loved visiting other factions and talking to members privately about their overall concerns. I loved working with them, seeing what it was like being in different factions. Even though you have faction leaders, their concerns are solely based on how to make the faction better. But my worries as President were how to improve people's' lives, and the only way you can do that is by talking to them, which Marcus was reluctant to do.

My mother saw I was not growing during my first year, and Marcus was not much of a mentor. My mother advised me in what I needed to do, made sure I looked the part and educated me on how the government works behind the scenes, specifically how people's personalities impact their decision making.

The leaders have distinct personalities, which makes it difficult for them to change their minds. I worked on my diplomacy, but some people on the council would rather be proven right, then seen others succeed. Very shellfish and possibly dangerous. That behavior forced me to try harder.

The best gift my Mother gave me was showing me my father's video diaries. The first year my dad was President, he was a complete mess, as my mother described it. He decided to do video diaries of everything he learned, the frustrations he had, and the goals he believed would make our state better. I loved watching the videos; I still do. They made me feel less alone.

I got to work after that. I took over as acting leader, even though Marcus was against it. I voted, made suggestions, and even wrote a policy, which failed in the long run. At least I tried. I started to interact with the leaders of the factions closely, particularly Johanna Reyes, the Speaker of Amity faction, our most peaceful faction who handles all our agriculture. I also worked with the factionless.

I think that was why last year, when it was time to vote for a new President of the people of Illinois, out of all the leaders of the factions, I won the majority of the votes, by a landslide.

Not bragging of course.

Being elected by the people of Illinois made me think I was doing something right, even though many people believe I only won because of name recognition. People loved my father and thought I could do the same job he did. I still became confident as a leader, and now it is time to make some sacrifices, even if they are personal.

(Knock, Knock, Knock) My mother rushes to open the door.

"President Prior, this is Jennifer, an artistry representative." Artistry sends a person over for the interviews to dress the interviewees up. I never use them.

"Come in." She comes in, wearing a flashy pink tank top dress, and black stockings with white polka dots. She is also wearing brown boots that go up to her ankle. Artistry uniform is stylish and colorful.

"Good day Madame President. I brought some dresses for you to change into. I also will be your hair and makeup girl for today." She places at least 7 dresses, all surprisingly grey, on a dressing rack. She also places a large bag, which I assume has makeup in it on the table next to the mirror. I’m shocked, thinking I already am dressed. Mom is polite as always, helping her organize.

"Actually, I was thinking of wearing the dress I have on. I also don't need makeup or hair done." I say, trying not to be rude.

"Oh…. I didn't think you were actually going to wear your work clothes." She giggles. She stops, noticing that my mother and I are not laughing. Great, now I am nervous thinking I look ridiculous. This dress is supposed to be casual, not work-related. "Oh, I am sorry Ms. Prior. I didn't mean any harm. I am used to dressing someone up for being on television. I forgot you Abnegation are minimalist. I was hoping I can dress someone so…amazing for once." She says nervously. "I’m going to go." She then grabs her stuff, getting ready to leave, but I feel the need to stop her.

"Wait. Maybe you can apply some makeup, just a little."

"You can also do her hair. I never know what to do with it." My mother suggests, giving the same polite smile I am. I know she is lying. Abnegation either wear their hair in a bun or braid; very simple, never showy. But she is being polite to the young Artistry girl, who is trying to help.

"Oh thank you!" She then places everything back where they were. "I promise, I won't slut you up."

Slut me up? What?!


	4. The Interview

"We should be ready in 5, Katherine." The producer tells the newscaster.

"Thanks Cary." Katherine replies, while looking at her notes.

I am sitting across from the journalist who will be interviewing me, patiently waiting for the show to start. We are in a simple Candor TV set, with white tile floors and white curtains as a backdrop. We sit in black conferences chairs, slightly facing each other. The Candor logo of unbalanced scales hangs in the back, all representing the Candor attire.

Katherine is wearing a black pantsuit, with white trim and white button up shirt. She looks like a professional Candor journalist, but also fierce and ready to come at me with tough questions.

I am definitely intimidated.

"Remember President Prior, answer the questions truthfully and the interview will go well." Katherine states, without looking away from her notes. I feel like I am going to be put under truth serum at any minute. I look to my mom for support. She smiles at me, mouthing 'you'll be fine.'

At least I feel comfortable with the way I look now. I am still in my dress, but I am wearing my hair down in waves, which just reach my shoulders. I have light makeup around my eyes and lips. I still look like I am from Abnegation, not 'slut up' at all.

Without warning, the producer stands next to the Katherine, giving her a countdown, "We will be live in 5, 4, 3, 2,…" And the producer points to Katherine. The live interview has started.

"Welcome State of Illinois to your daily Candor report." Katherine begins, looking straight at the camera. "I am Katherine Stewart, Candor correspondent, here to bring you a special report. Today we have Beatrice Prior, the leader of Abnegation, and the elected President of Illinois. She is here to talk about the Faction Freedom Act, FFA for short. A policy that went in effect 3 years ago, after the tragic assassination of Former Abnegation Leader and President, Andrew Prior." I just realize she might ask me questions about my father. The idea makes my stomach clench. "Welcome President Prior to Candor News."

"Thank you for having me." I politely respond. "Call me Beatrice."

"I will not. You deserve the honor to be officially called President since the people voted for you…this time." I don't know if I should be honored or taken back by her comments. I don't think that was a compliment. "So President Prior, tell us what brought you here."

"Well, I want to encourage the people of Illinois to interact with other faction. The FFA has been put in place for several years now, yet people still seem to stay with the traditional faction's ways of staying separate. I want to change that."

"Have people been disobeying the FFA?"

"I wouldn't say that. I think people are still use to not being allowed to interact outside their factions and it can be a difficult transition."

"So the policy doesn't work?" Going negative already? This is going to tough.

"I'm not sure if the policy does or doesn't work, since people haven't tried."

"Why did your father push for the FFA?"

"My father, former President Andrew Prior, believed that segregating the factions was causing unnecessary disagreement. He wanted people to have the freedom to work together regardless of faction and not have government dictate their personal relationships."

"But there weren't any conflicts until the act was created. Until your father was assassinated by a factionless illegal, there really weren't any violent actions between the factions, only the factionless. Do you think the act encouraged violence?" Is she trying to blame my father for everything? That is ridiculous. I decide to pull out the facts that Candor has failed to report.

"That is not necessarily true." She quickly narrows her eyes. Candor never liked being told their wrong. "There have been several conflicts that had taken place before the act was created. Several incidents of Abnegation, Artistry and Amity members reporting physical harassment from Dauntless members. Members of Dauntless have complained of not receiving proper services from the Ingenious faction. Abnegation members have complained of medical mistreatment from Erudite members. Candor seems to be the only one to have no complaints, but the Candor does not even interact with other factions, unless they absolutely have to, usually in the court system. Most Candor stay at their headquarters." She rudely rolls her eyes with that remark. It is true. "There also have been numerous complaints made by the factionless."

"Interacting with people outside your faction includes the factionless?" The rule is not specific about this, but I feel it would be a good thing if faction members interact with the factionless, at least to the point of treating them like they are human not illegal.

"While I am not encouraging direct interactions with the factionless, there will be no crime in it."

"Interesting." Katherine moves on to another subject, while glancing at her notes. "How will this act help the people of Illinois, even though there are very few problems in our society?"

I wouldn't categorize the list I had as few, but I continue. "I think if people interact and get to know members outside their own faction, they would be able to respect other factions. The only time we learn about other factions is in school, and that's not enough. The factions are segregated by their location, but if we work and live together more, I think our society will only improve despite our differences." She smiles with this remark, and I actually think I made a connection with Katherine.

"There were rumors that your father was cheating on your mother with an Artistry member, a jazz singer. I won't say her name out of respect for her. She has insinuated that she met with your father several times. Many people believe his affair was the reason he created this law. What do you have to say to that?"

I look towards my mother, who is absolutely furious. She is referencing to Crystal Myers, formerly known as Crystal Prior. My father did talk to her a lot, whenever he was in Chicago where the Artistry faction is, because that was his sister. She left Erudite, like my dad, to live her dream as a singer-songwriter. So she joined Artistry. She now travels the different factions to perform concerts. I learned this from my mother.

"You are half right. My father did partially create the act to see Crystal Myers because she was his Sister. Crystal had to change her name from Prior to Myers, so she wasn't associated with my father unfortunately." Katherine looks slightly embarrassed.

I decide to turn and look at my mother, who has tears in her eyes but a happy smile, probably remembering the times her and my dad would see Crystal sing. "She loved her older brother, very much, but before the act, she had to hide her love for him. She didn't want to get penalize with interacting with him. My father always found this to be ridiculous that family members had to disown each other when they chose their faction. Faction before blood, was our old motto. So it was his life work to enact the FFA, allowing families to be with each other. I only hope I get to finally meet her."

It bothers me that I can never meet my family. The main reason I decided to stay in Abnegation was because I hated the idea I would never get to be with my parents. I love them so much, even though I found Abnegation traditions to be strict. When my brother left for Erudite, my decision on Choosing Day was easy. I look at my lap, feeling very emotional right now, but I hold back my tears and quietly clear my throat.

"So President Prior," Katherine continues, clearing her throat as well. "How do you plan to encourage people to interact outside their factions?"

"I will be traveling to different factions for a few months, for council meetings, getting ready for this year's Choosing Ceremony, and observing Faction's training. During my free time, specifically in Chicago, I was planning to finally meet my Aunt Crystal, speaking of." I can't help but smile at my comment. I was always planning to see her, even with Katherine rudely bringing her up.

"I also plan on observing Dauntless initiation based on some issues that were reported in the past, and hopefully interacting with some Dauntless members. Maybe even…go out…on dates," I say in a giggling matter.

I think her eyes are going to pop out in surprise. "Dauntless and Abnegation are known to antagonize each other. You would have better luck from someone in Erudite." She jokes. Considering Erudite members dislike Abnegation, I doubt that. "Aren't you forcing the issue?"

"The purpose of the act is to allow faction members to interact with other faction members, and that is what I plan to do." I look towards the camera. "I hope I can show the people of Illinois that they do not have to fear retaliation or penalization if they interact with people outside their faction, especially if it is a personal relationship. And by doing this, we will realize we are not that different from each other."

"Well that concludes our interview. Thank you President Prior for coming in to talk candidly. We will be looking into how your 'dates' with Dauntless members go." I hope so. That way, Dauntless will have to allow me to at least date a few members. I have no plans on developing a relationship. I just want to show it is possible. "One last question President Prior, have you ever been on a date before?"

What? "Excuse me?"

"A date? I figured I would ask considering Abnegation people are known to focus their lives at a young age to their social work, not having time for entertainment, like dates. When you go into Dauntless to date one of their members, will it be the first date you ever had?" I was hoping she wouldn't bring up my personal life. I wanted to pretend that I had a social life. Now my cover is blown.

"No, I had a boyfriend." But the relationship felt forced because I was lonely, so I should be with someone.

"Michael Garrison, right?" How the hell did she know that?

"Yes." Michael was a good guy, he was, but there was nothing between us. We went through the steps of a relationship, even having sex, and there was a chance I was going to marry him. But, once my father died that relationship seemed to be a waste of time. I didn't love him. So I broke up with him soon after.

"Very interesting only one boyfriend, considering Dauntless members are known to be experience. Most Dauntless members not only had relationships by 16, but also had sex. And how old are you again?" I guess this is payback. Now she is pretty much insinuating on live television that I am inexperience, which I am. Dauntless women are rumored to have a boyfriend a year. Note to self, never mess with a Candor reporter.

"I'm 28."

"You will have a lot to learn, but I am pretty sure Dauntless men will be happy to teach you." She then turns to the camera, and I am left embarrassed. "That was our special report on Candor news. Up next are you regular schedule entertainment brought to you by the Artistry faction: Creating enjoyable, entertaining content just for you. I am Katherine Stewart, Candor correspondent, and always remember: The truth will set you free. Have a good night."

And the interview is over. I feel humiliated.

"Thank you for the interview. That was great." Katherine tells me before she gets up nonchalantly to talk to her producer.

My mother comes up to me, placing her hand on my cheek, lifting my head. Abnegation people are not known for showing affection, but really, we only show our affection in private. I know my mother won't do much now, but I am pretty sure when I go home, she will hug me and console me.

"Let's go home, sweetheart." I know she will now, since she used my nickname she gave me when I was a child.

We get up and leave to take the bus reserved for government officials to the Abnegation sector of Springfield. Other members, who were here on business in Candor, patiently waited on the bus for my interview to be done, so we can travel together. I remain silent while the Abnegation talks about their work this coming week. I think about whether my plan will work.

I also hope for a better day then this one.


	5. Abnegation Meeting

"Want to remind you, Council meeting will start in 30 minutes." Susan Black, my assistant, pops her head in to tell me.

"Thank you, Susan. I will be ready 5 minutes beforehand." I tell her.

She nods her head and says, "Yes Madame President," and returns to her desk, which is just outside mine. I shake my head at the fact that she will not call me by my first name, no matter how many times I tell her to.

I got to my office at the Abnegation Capitol building extra early today, which was helpful avoiding Candor reporters. Reporters have been all over me since my announcement trying to get more details. There is nothing to say though since I have yet to begin my travels to other factions. No word from the Dauntless leaders and representatives yet about my proposition, which isn't a good sign, but I cannot worry about their opinions yet.

When I got ready this morning, I didn't even wake up my mother, allowing her a couple of hours of sleep. I will see her later this afternoon. I made us both breakfast and left hers on the dining table. She deserves the rests, considering she works hard and travels a lot being the Ambassador of Abnegation. We live in the same house I grew up in, finding it more sensible to share a home and much more comforting.

I decided to wear my most comfortable Abnegation dress today, a long sleeve, long flowing dress with my comfy ankle boots. I have so much to do; no time to put on the formal uniform.

Susan has been helping me stay organized and prepared for all my meetings and travel plans. Even though we were in the same initiate class, she had no problem becoming my assistant. She is such a hard worker.

When she is not working for me, she volunteers her time helping the factionless. She believes that factionless can be more self-sufficient, not relying on handouts. Thus she helps them find service jobs like factory work with the Ingenious faction, clearing crops for Amity, or general cleaning for other factions. She helps them keep their clothes clean, by organizing washing days, where they take over our community laundry center. She also makes sure they have all the necessary supplies, like toothbrush, body wash, shampoo. She has become one of our community leaders and has given me an idea that I will hopefully present to the Abnegation council later today.

Until then, I have been looking over reports, trying to rectify the complaints we have been getting. Erudite released research reports stating Abnegation members are not truly as selfless as they state. They report abnegation members have stolen food instead of donating it to the factionless, reports of members being abusive to their wives and children, and they even claim overall corruption, stating Abnegation wants to overpower other factions, creating a one faction system.

I have not received any complaints, but Abnegation members do not gossip. They keep to themselves. I hope my office is open enough for people to come in and tell me anything, but I just don't know. The reports never mention a specific person nor where they received this information, so I cannot do anything about it, as of now.

For the rest of the day, I have the Abnegation council meeting, where we prepare for the State's council meeting. I will also help my mother serve the Factionless this afternoon.

Candor news will be out with us covering our service. They are not out all the time, but Candor has been more interested in my activities, after the live interview. There have been mixed comments about the interview, with some people think it is great I am setting an example, while others believe I am dating a Dauntless member just for show.

I will go out and date someone from dauntless, give it a try, but I don't expect anything to come from it. I doubt a male from Dauntless would find me interesting. But, I have to least try.

I did receive some communication from other Faction leaders, particularly Amity, Artistry and Ingenious. They insist I start having security, even though I had no problems in the past. This is something I will have to deal with now.

Security wouldn't normally be a problem, but my mother and I plan to have a meeting with the Factionless leader, which I can't have Dauntless security following me. It is our secret, my mother and I have for over a year now. I cannot have a lot of people know how organized the factionless are. While we do not believe they have weapons, if they get some, they easily would have an army.

My mother and I have been working with their leader to keep relationships peaceful. But if other factions found out about the factionless, there would be retaliation, which could be violent. So now we will have to sneak away from Dauntless security to meet them.

It especially doesn't help the situation that the factionless leader supposed to be dead. Evelyn Johnson, the former wife of Marcus Eaton, leads the Factionless. I remember her funeral so well.

I was six years old when Marcus Eaton told my parents his wife died in childbirth. I don't remember the conversation really, just remember his son, Tobias, looking sad, trying to hold back tears. I remember hugging him, hoping to take away some of his pain. The look he gave me made me think I did.

After the death of his mother, I rarely saw Tobias. Marcus only worked with my dad, never coming to family dinners my mother always invited him to. I don't even really know what happened to his son, except that he left Abnegation. I can't imagine him staying, considering he had such a bad memory associated here.

At least that was what I believed.

I remember our first meeting. My mother came to me over a year ago, cautiously telling me Evelyn is alive, and we will be meeting her in 30 minutes. I was shaken but went along with her.

My mother received a message from a factionless, named Myra, stating Evelyn wanted to meet me about how we can work together. This all happened after I was re-elected. I didn't know what to expect, but my curiosity got the best of me.

We met Myra and walked into an old, abandoned warehouse, which led to a tunnel. The whole scene felt dangerous, but I trusted my mother. She was a former Dauntless member. She had the abilities to protect us. Better be safe than sorry, my mother believed.

The tunnel connected to another abandoned warehouse, which was where their 'headquarters' were set up. It was unbelievable. 

Along one side, there were micro-apartments, seemingly stacked on each other, where factionless would sleep. In the middle were long tables, where they would eat and have their meetings. Along the other side of the building was where they constructed stuff they needed, like beds and chairs, out of materials they would collect. They also had a greenhouse, near the roof of the warehouse.

They utilized the skills they had from their factions to set up their headquarters. The Factionless even had control centers set up in different areas in Illinois. I was scared but impressed with how organized they are.

We met Evelyn Eaton, now Evelyn Johnson, going by her maiden name. She had a house that was outside of a warehouse. Her house looked abandoned and dilapidated from the outside, but a proper home from the inside.

Evelyn wanted to work with us to make the factionless lives better. While mom and I agreed, I didn't want to be blackmailed or threatened into doing something I didn't want to do. I simply told her, "We'll be in touch," and walked away, but Evelyn stopped us.

She proceeded to tell us the factionless are a lot powerful than any of the other factions. I thought this was a threat, but I asked anyway "How?" She responded by saying, "Because most of the Factionless are divergent." I remembered how a shiver ran through my body because my mother and I are divergent, and we knew what it meant.

Being Divergent makes us not the greatest people for the faction system because we easily adapt, but also can disrupt the system. When I was a child in grade school, I would finish my work a lot quicker than everyone else. I was able to understand the lessons easily. My mother said my brain was more developed, which made my brother Caleb angry.

Caleb is a year older than me, but I was moved up a level. Sometimes he would get so frustrated by how well I was doing in school. People assumed that means I would be good in Erudite, but I also excelled in sports, in my art classes, all aspects of school, which made me good in all the factions really.

Our faction system allowed children to explore the different factions in high school, where our educators made sure we knew the basics. It was a compromise made by the governing factions to allow for our youth to understand their options without pushing one faction over another. They had to learn about the different factions through classes, while still following the rules of the home faction. If a person failed in a certain class, it was considered acceptable. It meant the teenager wasn't made for that faction.

At least that was what I thought it meant when I was younger.

This system forced us at a young age to be very competitive, and the people who were naturally good at everything were reprimanded, being called a cheater. People found me to be suspicious and questioned me a lot, which made me an anxious kid. I was and still am naturally faster, smarter, stronger, and resilient. It all seemed weird at the time since I was an unassuming little Abnegation girl, but it frustrated my brother to the point of anger.

He tried to hide it. It didn't work.

One day at school, he pushed me off the playground gym during recess. I broke my arm. The kids starting laughing at me, and Caleb called me a freak. I was shocked. My mother told me later that day I was special. She called me Divergent and some people will never understand what it was like, including my own brother. It is best to hide who I was. I was so special that my arm healed in two days, but I left the cast on for show. My Divergence was confirmed during my Aptitude Test the day before Choosing Ceremony.

Many people think we are dangerous, even though we haven't done anything wrong. Now seeing the factionless, maybe they are right.

* * *

I sit in the Abnegation conference room, with Susan sitting next to me preparing to write notes. I have my files organized, but most importantly, I will be discussing with Abnegation council representative, directors, and ambassador the concerns they have for our state. Being Abnegation makes us not only selfless for our own faction members, but for everyone.

Abnegation council is made up of Angela Garrison, Peggy Olson, Andrew Black, Marcus Eaton, and my mother.

Angela Garrison is the director of counseling, stationed in Chicago. She helps all the factions, but she has difficulty getting anyone to come to visit the counselors and therapists.

Peggy Olson is the director of children's services, stationed at Abnegation headquarters in Springfield, but I rarely see her since she travels so much. Her focus is to serve the 1 to 18-year-old children in the state, ensuring their safety and preparing them for graduation and Choosing Ceremony. She is a busy woman.

Richard Black is the director of Public Welfare, mainly focusing on the factionless because they are the worst off.

Marcus Eaton is second in command, voted by the Abnegation people to represent Abnegation.

And my mother is the Ambassador, representing the best of Abnegation to the other factions. These people work hard to help others, and I am always honored to be working with them.

I stand, and the others follow, to face the holding hands' symbol on our flag and state the Abnegation manifesto:

"I will be my undoing If I become my obsession.

I will forget the ones I love If I do not serve them.

I will war with others If I refuse to see them.

Therefore I choose to turn away from my reflection,

To rely not on myself

But on my brothers and sisters,

To project always outward

Until I disappear."

I begin the meeting, "Welcome council to the Abnegation meeting. I would first like to offer each member to summarize their department's work and any concerns or questions you may have."

We have a roundtable discussion of the events and activities that happen in Abnegation and across the state. I summarize the issues that are happening outside of Abnegation and our responsibility towards fixing them, while figuring out how the other faction leaders could help. I then bring up my idea for the factionless.

"As people become used to the Relation Freedom Act, I would like to propose another Act." They nod, waiting for me to continue. "I think the factionless children should be able to enter in the Choosing Ceremony. I am unsure how to present this law." There are concern looks that cross the council member's faces, except for my mother, who I ran the idea by her already.

I think the factionless children should get a chance to enter the faction system. Many were born into factionless, and it doesn't seem fair. They never got an opportunity to enter in our society and they deserve the chance. Given many factionless are Divergent and born that way, I think they can make it into society if they were given a chance. I was able to make it. They need to have a better understanding of who they are. I hope to propose that idea in the future; being allowed to state a person Divergence.

"I appreciate your concern for the factionless youth, but this change could cause negative ramifications." Richard states. I was hoping that he would be on my side considering he works with the factionless.

"I think that’s a wonderful idea," Peggy says excitedly. "The factionless youth have done nothing to become factionless. They should have the same opportunity to participate in the faction system, like everyone else."

"I agree, but I’m not sure how I should present this to the other factions," I state.

"It will be a very difficult choice for other factions to make, but maybe if you present it like you are not breaking any current laws, they would be forced to accept," Angela suggested.

"I would love to draft something up Beatrice. I can look into the laws more to see if it would be breaking any existing ones. We can work together on it from there," Peggy quickly offered.

Richard proposed what would absolutely be needed in the law. Angela says she would float the idea with different people in Chicago to get an idea of how they would react. My mother made suggestions on how different factions would react to the law, preparing me for the worst. Marcus Eaton oddly remains silent during our discussion. This concerns me, considering he is supposed to mentor me through tough decisions.

He finally speaks, "I am concerned by some of your decision making Madame President," Marcus declares. The rest of the council seems to be surprised by his choice of words, but remain silent.

"Oh? What concerns do you have?" I ask.

"You seem to be moving forward on decisions without consideration of others." I am surprised he thinks this.

"What do you mean?"

"Presenting this law would make Abnegation look shellfish."

"How?" The law would help the factionless. I don’t understand where this is coming from.

"Abnegation has already enacted a law that is controversial to how our society works. Now you want to enact another law that would tear down our system even more. It is shellfish to think Abnegation could make such a major change to our system, again." Now I am doubting myself. I don't want Abnegation to look bad. "What is next? Push to eliminate the faction system."

"I don't want to get rid of the faction system." I believe the system helps people be functioning members of our society.

"Then leave the system as it is."

I am unsure what to do. I don't want to antagonize the other factions, but from what I know so far, the factionless deserve a chance to work in our society. I am afraid if the factionless don't get this chance; the oppression they feel might force them to retaliate. Knowing what is like to be Divergent, they could win.

I may want to go straight to the government without the Abnegation council's official help. "We will hold on presenting the law to the government till further notice." Peggy looks disappointed but doesn't speak on it. I will make sure to ask her for help with drafting the policy. "Does anyone else have something to present?" everyone shakes their head no. "Meeting adjourned."

This is not a very successful meeting, but This is generally how our meetings go.  

My most challenging meeting will be later tonight. My Mother and I will be meeting with the Factionless and Evelyn. We have been meeting a few times over the years. Tonight, My mother will update her with overall work done with the factionless. Evelyn will then update us on the complaints any factionless has received. I will let Evelyn know of my ideas for the factionless and get her input.

We keep our meetings undisclosed from Abnegation council. I am afraid to know what made Evelyn leave Abnegation to become factionless. So we keep her secret safe, something the Abnegation council would not appreciate. Hopefully, that will change.


	6. Chapter 6

I walk with my mother and Susan out to our Abnegation Community Center. We have a large grey three stories community center to help the Factionless. The Ingenious faction helped us redesign the abandoned building into a community center. The building has a laundry station, female and male bathhouses, industrial kitchen, tables and chairs, lounge areas, and workstations. We even have an indoor play area for the factionless and abnegation children play with each other.

A proposal for the building was sneakily entered in by my father before died. No one knew it was going to be used for the Factionless. He had a way of getting stuff done for the factionless without people arguing about it.

The third story of the center is a place to rest, lounge, and have meetings. It is easily the most stylish area in Abnegation because we take used furniture from different Factions, usually from the Ingenious Faction, since they are constantly creating, and put it in our center. The furniture is old, but still very comfortable. During bad weather, this area is turned into a shelter, so people can stay inside overnight. We do the best with what we have, but this community center is truly a wonderful place.

Even though the Factionless are a well-organized group, people who recently become Factionless, usually after initiation, are helpless. We want to provide them a safe place to stay and figure their lives out. Plus, Evelyn doesn't have education as a priority for the Factionless, but we do. The second floor in our center is where we hold children and adult classes. This was an idea my Mother had, to provide basic education and vocational school.

Erudite usually handles all the education that is done in our society, but they refuse to educate the Factionless. We have Abnegation volunteers educate themselves as much as possible on the different academic subjects. They then regurgitate the information the best they can to the Factionless. Abnegation children will even save their academic materials to be used by the Factionless children. This is another point of contention with Erudite, but I make sure everyone is operating within faction laws.

I want to talk to my Mother about our Factionless meeting tonight, but we have two Dauntless security, named Roxy and Jackson, Candor news photographers, and reporters following us today. Candor are interested in my interaction with the factionless. The Dauntless are interested in the safety of the Candor and maybe Abnegation. They both have no real interests in the Factionless.

We are the only faction that interacts with the Factionless. Most factions cast away people who could not become faction members and do not think about them again. At one point, Dauntless and Erudite, the two factions with the highest failure rates, wanted to force them outside of the wall, but Abnegation and Amity found that to be inhumane.

That was when Abnegation started to become much more organized in helping the factionless by sharing our supplies, while managing our own goods. It pushes for Abnegation to sacrifice their own goods, but that is what our faction is known for. Luckily people like my Mother and Susan are trying to make the factionless more self-sufficient, which is what Evelyn seems to be accomplishing. We still need the help of other factions, like Amity.

Inevitably, we have a long road ahead of us to accomplish our goals of the Factionless receiving the respect they desperately deserved.

I use to be scared of the Factionless. I thought they were dirty and harsh. I even had one Factionless scare me as a teenager when I was walking home from my Aptitude Test. I believed they were failures or they broke the law. I only saw people who I didn't want to be.

But as I have grown up and learn more about the Factionless, I realized I could so easily be one of them. Knowing so many are Divergent and fear for their lives, made me realize how lucky I am, and how much I should be helping them.

* * *

I enter the community center, and many Factionless families are already here. Abnegation volunteers are organizing the setup of food and supply distribution. Susan and Mom immediately help.

Susan is great with the Factionless. She organizes their supplies, nurses their wounds, and is an overall confidant for them. My Mother is her mentor, so it makes sense she works well with them. She learned from the best.

I began explaining to the reporters what we do here when a 5 year old brown skin, curly hair boy yells my nickname, "Tris!" He runs to me, and I lean over as he leaps into my arms.

"Hello, Charlie." The Candor journalists start taking a lot of photographs. I try to look nice towards them, but I really want them to leave. Me being with Charlie is not a photo-op.

"Hi, Tris!" Charlie is a factionless child who I have become friends with.

One day, I was walking back to my home after a late-night at work. I was reading faction history books, trying to understand the other factions better. I lost track of time, and lost track of time. I wasn't nervous about walking in Abnegation at night; nothing really happens here, but I heard some noises near the cafeteria. I was going to ignore it, but the noise was getting louder.

My curiosity got to me, and I walked over to the sound. I suspected it was a wild animal, like a raccoon. We find them around here sometimes. Instead, it was a young boy rifling through the trash. I was shocked by his dirty appearance, with food waste seeped in his hair and nails. He was 4 years old at the time, and I wanted to help him. I took him home with me, to my mother's surprise, but she helped me feed him, clean him up, and take care of him. We tried to get him to tell us where his parents were, but all he could say was they disappeared.

We tried to get him into the adoption system, but according to Faction laws, a child cannot be adopted without knowing who their parents were. They needed to confirm whether he had Factionless parents or not because they are treated differently. We desperately tried to find them, but came up with nothing.

I was at a lost.

My mother and I couldn't legally take him in and we couldn't set him up with another family. The only thing we could do was go to Evelyn. She was able to find him a home and person to take care of him. A Factionless woman named Myra unofficially adopted him. I was grateful for what they did.

This is why I want to change the laws.

"Tris, you wanna play?" He asks taking my hand and dragging me.

"How about we eat first silly.” Candor journalist are taking pictures and making notes of our interaction. Dauntless guards seem uneasy with everything that is happening, considering they are outnumbered. They don't understand that nothing bad is going to happen. I try to remain calm. “Where’s your mom anyways?"

"She gettin' stuff. I'm gettin' a tronic book."

"How exciting. You will get to read all kinds of books." Erudite has recently updated the electronic readers students use to read books and do their school work. The old ones were going to be burned, but luckily Abnegation got them to be used for the Factionless. With the help of the Ingenious faction, they built fast chargers, so the readers can be charged at the community center. No point to waste something that can be used.

"You read me?"

"When I have free time, I will. I promise."

At this point, Charlie won't leave my side. I think he associates me with safety, which is strange since I am a small Abnegation girl, well Abnegation woman. But to him, I can protect him.

I nod to Myra to say Hello, and she smiles back, not caring that Charlie is with me. She goes back to sort supplies with Susan.

"President Prior, what is your relation with this boy?" A Candor reporter asks. I try not to roll my eyes at this question. I constantly feel like they are trying to find a dirty story on me, but it won't work.

"This is Charlie." I introduce him, but he hides behind me, not wanting all the attention. I continue, "He is a factionless boy that we help at the Abnegation Community Center. He is one of many we take care and have a safe and secure life."

"Where are his parents?" Another reporter asks, as photos are taken of me.

"We do not know. We tried to find them with no success. We found that some children are left stranded in the Factionless." The Candor reporters gasp. So many people have no idea what happens with the Factionless. They assume they are failures and deserve to be Factionless. "I hope that we find a way to better help these children, so they will have a better future."

The reporters try to ask me more questions, but I can feel the uneasiness in Charlie. So I end it, and walk over to get his electronic reader.

We go upstairs to get comfortable. I begin to read him a story, since I officially declared this time to be my free time. No more reporters or photographers, just me and Charlie, and now a few other children sitting to listen to the story of The Little Prince. We read till dinner was done.

People like Charlie always remind me why I am fighting to change the faction system. He deserves better.


	7. Factionless Meeting

"So... should I do something or…something?" Susan nervously asks.

"No need to worry Susan. We need you most to help us recognize the people in Evelyn's group." My mother replies. "Let Beatrice do the talking."

"Ok Mrs. Prior." Susan nervously whispers back.

It is a little after 1 in the morning, and Susan, my Mother, and I are walking in a dark tunnel to the Factionless headquarters, with only a flashlight to guide us. This is the first time Susan is coming with us, but since she knows the factionless so well, she could be helpful in knowing who is a part of Evelyn's crew. Mom and I only recognize a couple of people, and we are wondering what faction some of these people originally came from. This will help us understand the skill levels of them and how dangerous they could be.

We already found out from Susan, Myra was from Erudite and chose Dauntless to be with her boyfriend, who also chose Dauntless. She was never cut out to be in Dauntless and became Factionless after she failed in combat training.

Susan is great with connecting with the Factionless, but if she doesn't know everything or not willing to tell their story, we can always research the State database. We need to know who they are.

It is much too late to be doing this, but we had no choice. The Factionless gathering at the community center last night took a while to finish because the reporters kept interfering. It also didn't help matters the Dauntless security was patting down all the Factionless, making sure they didn't have any weapons. I apologized, assuring them this won't be a normal occurrence.

"AHHHH!" Susan screams. My mother immediately pulls out a handgun, which I had no idea where she put it in her long grey dress and sweater jacket and pointed it in the direction Susan was jumping away from. She looks alert and in position to kill with the flashlight pointed at the direction of her target. We quickly realize it was only a rat.

"Sorry," Susan whispers, completely shocked at my mother's ninja-like skills.

"No worries dear. Next time, try not to scream if it is a person," my Mother says. Susan knows some things about my Mother and me since we trust her to tell our secrets, but she doesn’t know everything. She will be learning a lot tonight.

We finally reach a door in the long underground tunnel, and I began the secret knock. It is the rhythm of an old song I never heard of called 'We Will Rock You'. It always works because someone opens the door after knocking the song 3 times. We are greeted by a young man, probably about my age. He is the same man who always greets us, who is tall, over 6 feet, muscular, wears an eye patch over his left eye and has a knife in his side pocket. He is one of Evelyn's guards.

"We are here to see Evelyn. She is expecting us." I tell him.

"Who is she?" He asks, pointing to Susan.

I am about to introduce Susan to him, but she interrupts me, "It's Susan, remember?" Susan explains. "I am the one who cleaned out your eye the first time you came here. I remember how rude and reluctant you were Edward. I hope you remember how nice and patient I was." She crosses her arms, surprised he doesn't remember her.

The tall and burly man actually blushes. "I apologize Ms. Black; I couldn't recognize you in the dark." This is a good sign. Susan interacts with so many factionless, she seems to know everyone. I will have to remember to ask about him later. "Follow me," he says in as much of a commanding voice one can have after blushing.

We follow him through the Factionless center, down the main hall. It is late, so many people are asleep in their mini apartments, but it still is incredibly grand even without the activity. Susan is in awe, lagging behind us as she takes it all in.

We reach Evelyn's house and Edward knocks a couple of times. No secret knock for her, considering she is expecting us.

She opens the door, and the great Evelyn stands in front of us. I call her that because sometimes she seems to present herself as the Queen of the factionless. She has messy brown hair, but it is pinned back in an updo. She is wearing heavy eye and lip makeup that makes her big brown eyes and lips more expressive, but nothing else covers her beautiful face. She wears a silk black dress, with one strap falling off her shoulder. She has jewelry of different styles, but all were old and dirty. She is a contradiction to her surroundings, being too glamorous, but at the same time fits right in.

"Thank you, Edward, for meeting our guests. You are dismissed," Evelyn commands. Edward leaves, probably to go to sleep. "Welcome ladies, and you are?" She looks towards Susan. She is about to introduce herself, but Evelyn quickly dismisses her, "Never mind. It doesn't matter. It is much too late for me to care whether you two are staging a takeover of the Factionless. And if you were, I doubt you would have her help." she says, pretending to tell me a secret.

Evelyn already seems to be in a mood that won't make this meeting easy, but we need to work with her nonetheless. "Please, come in."

We walk into her home, which is eclectically decorated with beautiful pieces that do not fit together. I can tell she got all these items from the Ingenious, Amity, Erudite and Artistry factions because they have creative and unique designs. We walk into her makeshift dining room, where we sit at the table. She already has miss matched wine glasses set for me and my Mother.

"Would you like some wine?" she offers, pulling out bottles from her mini fridge in her kitchenette. Even her kitchen has its own miss match objects, with fine Erudite wine glasses, earthy Amity plates, and fancy Ingenious kitchenware.

"No thank you." I politely decline. "We are here on business, and we’re already late. We shouldn't take too much of your time."

"Are you sure Madame President? I only offer the finest wines from the Amity Faction."

I don't want to know how she got wine from Amity, but I have a feeling it was stolen. "No thank you, but I would like to get to our meeting."

Evelyn sits down at the head of the table and pours herself a full glass. "Go on Madame President."

I take the lead of the meeting, knowing beforehand, my Mother and I planned it that way. "I want to talk to you about the Factionless law I plan to propose. There is already pushback from a couple of my fellow Abnegation council members."

"Let me guess, Marcus?"

"Yes-"

"Maybe we should kill him and then we would not have to worry about his vote."

"Evelyn, please." My mother pleads.

"Don't you dare, Natalie." She sneers back, pointing her finger right back at her. She continues to drink, taking a big gulp of her wine, even though my Mother is giving her a challenging look in response.

"As I was saying," I state, glaring at Evelyn. She waves her hand, giving me permission to continue. "There has been pushing back on my proposed law, but I am going to move forward at the State Council."

"Really? How defiant. I knew I would like you Madame President."

"But, it will be on my terms" Evelyn stops drinking the moment I said that.

"And what would those terms be?"

"I will ONLY be proposing that factionless children should be able to go to Abnegating schools, since the majority of Factionless migrate to Springfield anyways, and they will be allowed to enter in the Choosing Ceremony at the age of 18 like the rest of the Faction children."

"And…"

"That’s it." She instantaneously gets up with the wine glass in hand.

"That’s not what we agreed on." She says pacing in her kitchenette.

"We agreed on nothing Evelyn."

"That’s bullshit and you know it!" She slams her fist on the dining room table, spilling some of her wine.

Susan is shaken, but Mom and I remain firm. "We agreed on nothing, but we did discuss many proposals you had. These two are the ones I think are the most important."

"You think the factionless should not have representation on the State's council then?"

"I never said that."

"Then why are you not proposing it?!"

"Because I think it wouldn't be safe to overstep our bounds right now."

"Safe for who, the Factionless or the Faction members?" These type of comments always make me nervous because it insinuates the division in our home that could lead to conflict.

"Both to be honest. I think it is important the rest of the Factions are gradually introduced to Factionless people. They already have these stereotypes that are wrong. I think we first break those, and the best way we can do that is introducing the children to the Faction System. Tonight, we recently had Charlie-"

"I don't care!" She says slamming her cup down. "Listen to yourself? You basically want to take Factionless children away from their families, away from their homes, to join these STUPID Factions! You want them to abandon everything they are known to be just like everyone else, a faction robot!"

"That is not true Evelyn. We are trying to give them a choice. Plus, with the other laws in place, they would still be allowed to visit their families."

"No, they will not!" Evelyn starts pacing again, but at a faster rate without her glass. "The moment they enter a faction, they will be treated differently. The others will know they do not belong there and are only there because Abnegation forced them to join a faction! They will be treated like shit! And every chance they get to improve and make themselves fit in is another chance they will be put down and abused by someone who thinks they are already better than them."

At this point, Evelyn is leaning towards me during her rant. "You do not get it, Madame President. Divergent are hated. Divergent are feared. They will never be accepted. They will never be loved. And as long as there is a Faction system, nothing will change."

At this point, I can tell Susan is shocked to hear that Evelyn is referring to the Factionless as Divergent. I can also tell my mother is slowly reaching for her gun. I know I have to calm this situation down, but I cannot help but think Evelyn is talking about how she was treated in Abnegation and her previous faction Erudite. I want to understand her past better, but we need to move on.

"Evelyn, please sit down." She reluctantly does at the head of the table. "I do know they will be treated differently. I was treated differently and even harshly by my own brother."

My mother sadly bows her head in regret. I know it was not her fault, but it is true, Caleb was very cruel, even though he didn't understand at the time I was Divergent.

"What I know will be different this time is the Divergent children will have lots of people on their side. I will always do my best to protect them under our laws. Your team will be able to assist them in how to properly act around Faction people. They will be able to go to Susan and my mother for guidance or help when they need it. They will be somewhat protected in Abnegation classrooms, and when it is time for them to choose what faction they want to be in, they will always have the option of being factionless. We have to give them the choice of a better life."

I know I have calmed Evelyn down considerably, but I can tell she doesn't completely agree with me. "At the end of the day, it is up to you isn't?"

"I am not a Dictator, so no, it isn't."

"But you will decide how much you campaign for the Factionless." I nod my head yes. "Then I will continue to work with you. I hope your proposal goes well."

I am glad we can agree on one thing tonight. "But!" Evelyn interrupts. Maybe I spoke too soon. "Mark my words Madame President, the Factionless have been subjected to a harsh exercise of authority and inequality for a long time. At some point, we will break."

I understand her veil threat, and it is what I am constantly worried about.

"I understand. That is why I think this proposal will be a positive step in the right direction."

"I agree." She stands, seemingly done with the meeting. The rest of us stand as well. "Thank you for meeting with me as always, and I do hope you have a good night." She bows, a custom Abnegation to say goodbye.

"Good night Evelyn," I tell her, eager to go home.

"And Beatrice, a quick word…alone?" I look to my mother telling her visually I will be ok. She gets the message and guides Susan out of the house to have a private conversation. "I heard you will be dating someone from Dauntless."

"Yes, I hope so," I reply surprisingly. I didn't think she cared about the news unless it was Factionless related.

"May I make a suggestion?" I nod my head, curious as to what she was going to say. "There is a young man, who works in the control room at Dauntless. He has always been kind to the Factionless, compared to the rest of those brutal barbarians. His name is Four. He would be a good person to get to know."

I am slightly confused at what Evelyn is offering. Is she trying to set me up? "I will definitely consider him."

I am ready to walk away, but she gently grabs my arm to stop me. "Seriously Beatrice, the Dauntless are cruel individuals. I don't want you to get hurt." She says, but I know she is joking. I can take care of myself and she knows it. "Or, I don't want you to hurt them. We cannot have everyone knowing their President is Divergent."

"No, we can't."

"But this young man, he is handsome, quiet, a little rough on the edges, but is sweet and kind. He would be good for you. Someone who would challenge you and push you to be better. He would love your independence but would be loyal to you. You should give him a chance."

I am taken back by her comments. How does she know this man name Four?

I don't know what she is trying to accomplish, but I believe her sincerity. "I will make sure to look him up," I tell her.

She smiles sweetly and lets me go. I start to walk out of her home, but before I leave, I tell her seriously, "Get some sleep, Evelyn."

"You first Madame President."

* * *

"That was Marcus Eaton's wife!" Susan whisper-yells, as we walk back to our homes quickly. Mom, now has her gun out, ready for anyone that might attack us, as she leads us out of there.

"We know," I tell Susan.

"But how? She supposed to be dead!"

"Let me tell you tomorrow because it is much too long of a conversation. For now, stay with us tonight." Susan immediately agrees, knowing full well we might be in danger. I would like to ease her nerves, but I have no idea how bad the division between the factionless and the factions is going to get.


	8. State Council

"Welcome to State Headquarters." The robotic female voice announce on our bus.

We made it to Chicago for the State Council meeting, and the bus was filled with young members of Artistry and Dauntless teenagers, who was going to school today. When we travel to Chicago for State Council Meetings, we do not bother taking a State car. We take the subway to quickly get to Chicago from Springfield and the local bus because it is a great way to interact with faction members.

The Artistry teens are as loud as their colorful purple and yellow school uniforms they are wearing. They are singing, twirling around with their capes flowing behind them, and acting out scenes from movies or television. That is what they tell me, considering I don't watch television or movies and had no idea. Dauntless teens are wilder, telling jokes and playing games where they dare each other to do tricks. None of them do anything too dangerous, but sometimes I wonder if they are going to hurt themselves hanging off the handlebars the way they do. They are definitely much more adventurous, which I appreciate. They all seem to have fun even though they are heading to school. My Mother and I have talked to them the entire time during our trip to the Council Meeting Headquarters. I enjoy interacting with them. Marcus seemed to not be interested.

"Bye Nat. Bye Bea!" They yell at us while we exit our bus. Yep, they already gave us nicknames.

"Goodbye!" We both say in return and wave as the bus continues to the next stop, which is their shared high school. Since both Artistry and Dauntless live in Chicago, they go to the same school, but Dauntless teens have to take the train first, since their Faction is further away from the heart of the city, which is where we are now.

I thought about joining Artistry and Dauntless once. With Dauntless, I always thought they were free, which is what I wanted, but they are known to have the hardest and most harsh training. Being Divergent, Dauntless is one of the most dangerous places I could go. I would have been found out quickly. With Artistry, I thought I could be a dancer or singer, but it is difficult to join if you had no earlier experience. Artistry initiates are already from that faction, rarely receiving transfers. I hope the Relationship Freedom Act and future proposals will change all that.

I take a moment to look around Downtown Chicago. Chicago is our biggest city in the state of Illinois. Chicago may only have two factions, Dauntless and Artistry, but it is where our major events, like the Choosing Ceremony, occur. It is our most lively city, since the Artistry makes its mark all over the city. They set up clubs, bars, restaurants, studios, and theaters for the factions' entertainment.

It is easy for the other factions to get here as well. I already see council members from Amity coming in on their shuttle from Peoria. I go to greet them doing my customary bow, but I go in to hug Speaker Johanna Reyes, who has become a great ally for me.

The Amity faction values peace and harmony. They manage our food and water throughout our State. They also believe everyone in their faction has an equal voice. No decision will be made unless everyone votes. They send Johanna and a couple of Amity members to speak for them, since every faction is represented by 3 council members, but Johanna is the most trusted to speak for and follow Amity traditions.

Johanna is an older black woman, who wears traditional earthy Amity clothes fit for being outdoors. She has a kind face, but a large scar that goes across her right eye and cheek. I do not dare ask how she it, but I wonder who and when was she violently attack. It could be the reason she chose a peaceful faction. I consider her my friend, not only because my parents trust her, but when I first became leader, it was her who always stopped the meetings to make sure I had spoken. She was the one who would pull me to the side and explained something that was confusing. She was the one who always made sure I didn't disappeared among the older and aggressive council members. Johanna was much more of a mentor then Marcus ever was.

"Hello Johanna. How are you?" I ask while giving her a gentle hug.

"Doing well, Madame President. How are you?"

"I could be better, but I am ready for this council meeting." She proceeds to hug my Mother and bows her head towards Marcus, who returns the gesture. He leaves to enter the Council Meeting Headquarters. I watch him walk away, wondering why he would want a job where you have to talk to people.

"I brought you a bag of our distorted apples we cannot use for the factions." Johanna gives a small bag of apples that are missed-shaped. "I promise you they may look ugly, but they are really delicious." Erudite has strict rules on the food the faction members should eat. One of them is the food is in pristine condition, which is wasteful in my opinion.

"Thank you Johanna." My Mother responds respectfully. "Is there a chance you have more?" We usually give these to the Factionless.

"A shipment is on the way." Johanna whispers back.

We are about to walk together into the State Council Headquarters, when a couple of fancy black cars pull up, signaling Candor leader Jack Kang arriving with second in command James Tucker and council member Henry Causer. While Abnegation and Candor both inhabit the city of Springfield, we are segregated. Candor likes to keep to themselves unless they are needed for work. I was told once by a Candor member in confidence that many Candor people cannot stand how much the other factions lie and find it difficult to talk to others. I find it ironic because it is difficult to talk to Candor sometimes when it feels like you are constantly being interrogated. You learn to adjust.

I go to greet Jack Kang and the other council members, and have a polite conversation, while their cars are being valet. What interrupts us this time are 3 loud black motorcycles and old but beautiful brown car. The motorcycle drivers are the 3 members of Dauntless, leader Max Phifer, second in command Eric Coulter, and council member Lauren Grayson. They drove only a couple of miles from Dauntless headquarters, since their compound is not far. It is pointless to greet them because they walk by entering the building, acting like we are not members of the council, but random people on the street.

The Leader of Ingenious does not do this. Leon Huerta walks straight up to me to greet me with a handshake that turns into a kiss on my hand. "Good Morning Madame President." He says smoothly. Leon always likes to flirt with me even though I never flirt with him. He is handsome, being tall, medium length black hair, a clean-cut beard and a nice tall body, but not might type. Silly, I know tall, dark and handsome is not my type, but he always comes off too strong.

"Good Morning." I try to keep our conversation short, wanting to get our council meeting started, but my blush on my face says differently. I cannot help how my body reacts. The kiss on the hand was weird but cute.

"Did you see the car I drove today?" he asks, pointing to his fantastic car.

"I did. What did you restore this time?" The Ingenious Faction values being inventive, resourceful and are pioneers. They are our inventors, engineers, and architects of our State. They love to restore things they find. Ingenious are most known to restore the old buildings that still stand after World War III even though they been around over 100 years. The faction does a great job and even restored the building we are entering now which is a 30 stories tall black and gold majestic skyscraper where many of our government officials work and meet, and where we hold our monthly council meetings. It is a great way to save our cities' history.

Leon prefers to restore cars though. "It is an original Porsche from 1963. I updated the outer components to fit the race-bred chic of the 70s cars, the power of the 80s and the intricacy of the 90s. I refurbished the inside components to its strength, vitality and purity of purpose fit for modern times." I am not quite sure what he means, but I am still impressed and have no problem showing it.

"How were you able to restore such an old car?" I ask, fascinated by his skills.

"It is a long story. How about I tell you over dinner, tonight at 7:00 pm?" I can't help blushing, even though I am not interested in dating him.

"I'm sorry; I can't."

"You seem to make yourself available for Dauntless members. Why would you want to date such reckless boys, when you can date an imaginative man?" He gives me a very charming smirk, but I am not caving in.

"I am really sorry. I think it is best to start trying to date Dauntless members since people think they couldn't get along with Abnegation."

"Fair enough, but let me know when you're ready." I really need to get my blushing under control because I keep giving him the wrong impression.

"President Prior, we should really go in and begin the council meeting." My Mother tells me saving me from further embarrassment.

"Thank you Mrs. Prior." I turn to Leon now. "Shall we?" I ask him.

"You first, Madame President." I walk in front of him, entering State Council Headquarters, but I can see in the glass door, Leon is checking me out. I give up with this one.

* * *

 

33 minutes. It has been 33 minutes and still no members of Erudite.

"Can you please contact Erudite again?" I ask Tessa, a young assistant from Artistry.

Artistry sets up all our meetings. Leader of Artistry, Elizabeth Kelly, a former actress and now director of the Artistry schools, has a great eye for detail. She is one of our older and long elected leaders, who have been a part of the council for a couple of decades now. She has short wavy red hair, elegant features, holds herself with grace, but is not someone you mess with. Elizabeth has worked with several council members over time, since they change a lot in the other factions, except in Abnegation and Amity. So she knows best how to handle a variety of personalities.

She and the rest of the Artistry council members, Betty Streep and Robert Nicholson, makes sure everything is in order for the meeting, even giving each member coffee, tea and snacks throughout the meeting, a lunch during our break, dinner if the meeting goes long, and hotels if council members do not want to go back to their factions till the next day. Some council meetings last several days. The resources are always helpful.

Council leader Kelly is so particular, she even provides transportation if Council members needed. I can tell how annoyed she is the Erudite is late. "Council Leader Huerta, may I ask a question?" Mrs. Kelly asks.

"Yes Council Leader Kelly." Leon politely responds, ready to start the banter.

"How long does it take you to drive from Aurora to Chicago?" Mrs. Kelly asks. I know what she is getting at. Ingenious and Erudite are both in Aurora, Illinois. If Leon and the rest of the Ingenious members are here, so should Erudite.

"It takes 30 minutes, an hour at the most. We made sure of it, with our near perfect production of the highway from Aurora to Chicago."

"Interesting, interesting, interesting," Mrs. Kelly responds sarcastically. "And Council Leader Leon, may I ask another question?"

"Of course," Leon responds emphatically. The rest of the council members chuckle at their banter, except for the Dauntless members, and Marcus Eaton, who is typing vigorously on his portable computer. I have no clue what he is doing.

"What happens if a council member was in danger?" Mrs. Kelly asks, even though she knows the answer.

"Well, as long as they are in their state-run vehicles," he glares at me, knowing full well I don't use a State vehicle and he is one of the council members who worry about my safety. "Their vehicle will report to Dauntless of impending danger. It will also send a message to nearby Erudite hospitals and even Abnegation clinics."

"How fancy!"

"It even works automatically…no hands required." Leon seductively notes, wiggling his fingers.

"Reeeaaally!?" She says surprisingly, even though it is a fake exasperation. "Then, where the hell is Council Leader Mathews?!"

"Maybe one of her experiments is running late." Johanna suggests.

"Unless it is discovering a cure of old age or boredom, which I am currently dying from both, I don't give a DAM what she is doing! She is late!"

"We should start the meeting?" I decide to speak up.

"According to Faction law, you can authorize to conduct a meeting without all the council members present, President Prior. As long as 2/3rd of the council are here. Otherwise, you would be forced to cancel the meeting." Jack Kang, leader of Candor informs me.

"Wouldn't it be rather bitchy to start the meeting without the full council present?" Dauntless Leader Max said offensively.

"I think we know who the real Bitch is on the Council, Council Leader Phifer." Mrs. Kelly said.

"It is not proper to use vulgar language during a professional meeting," Jack Kang responds.

"Nor should you speak to your President like that," my Mother says in defense.

"I assure you, she is not my President." Max protest.

Dr. Jeanine Mathews, leader of Erudite, tall and stern, with her blond hair perfectly pinned back in an up do and her blue dress fitting her perfectly stopping at the knee, walks in to our meeting a half an hour late. "Ready to begin," She says, standing with the other Erudite council members ready to salute the flag. Dauntless members stand. She loves to lead meetings, knowing full well that is my job.

My Mother turns to me, not standing, waiting for my command like the rest of the council members. I stand and announce, "Let us begin the 5th Meeting of the State Council. On record, the date is the 2nd of May." Everyone stands, and begin the pledge to the once United States in front of an old flag that represented the country we see the red, white and blue stripes, with the 50 stars representing the 50 states that were once a part of this country, but now have fallen. There is just the state of Illinois, but I doubt we are the only ones left.

We recite the United States of America pledge, to make sure we never forget where we came from. We then begin our pledge to Illinois, so we remember how far we have come. "I pledge loyalty and support to the state of Illinois, to thee I pledge my allegiance, my service, and my life to the Sovereign State for which it stands, one Commonwealth, blessed with knowledgeable, selfless, courageous, inventive, creative, honest, and peaceful people to unite us all."

Once we finish, we all sit, and I begin the meeting. I first have each faction discuss the successes, and concerns they are currently experiencing. This part usually takes a couple of hours because it becomes the blame game. It seems it is never the complaining faction who caused the problem, but another faction not doing its part. I listen carefully and patiently, trying to assist where I can, but many times I am making sure a fight doesn't break out.

I then go over how well the Relationship Freedom Act is going, which seems to come up every meeting, since my father pass away. I luckily have no interruptions, until Marcus speaks, "We should set a timeline for the law to renegotiate whether we should end it or not."

"What? Why?" I ask, completely surprise Marcus made such a suggestion. It was my Father's policy, which he probably died for.

"I understand how important the law was to your father, but considering how close of a decision it was, and how reluctant people are to interact with each other, it seems that the policy is not working. Nothing has changed."

"Not yet, but it will. We need to give it time."

"It has been 3 years President Prior. How much longer should we force the situation until we, as Council members, realize the policy doesn't work?" I cannot believe Marcus is arguing with me. If he was so concerned, he should have brought this up during the Abnegation meeting.

"Well I find the policy has been great for Artistry. Our faction has seen an increase in people coming to see our performances," Ambassador Robert Nicholson states in defense of the policy.

"While it is good to hear you are profiting from the policy that was not why it was originally proposed." Marcus states.

"Maybe because some factions refuse to take part," Council Leader Kelly said, looking straight at Council Leader Dr. Matthews.

"I do not condone any Erudite members from interacting with faction members. If they are not going out and forming relationships with other faction member, that is their choice," Jeanine Mathews defends. "It is not my fault they have nothing in common with the likes of all of your faction associates."

"Well that was encouraging." Mrs Kelly said sarcastically.

"But we don't know if people don't try," I plea. "Many of you know, I plan to meet and go out with different Dauntless members to get to know them. Now most people would think that is a terrible idea, but I know that this will encourage people to interact with other factions. Just because we are different, doesn't mean we can't have relationships."

"And I will be eager to help," Council Member Eric Coulter states happily, but it is hard to believe him with his smug smile. He is the kind of person that makes me nervous with is large tribal looking neck tattoo, and his many piercings on his eyebrows, lip and ears. I shouldn't judge him, but he is someone who has defied me in the past. I remember one time I overheard him refer me as a little girl to Max. He is someone who doesn't respect me, but I go along anyways.

"Thank you for the help. I will make sure to meet with you tomorrow afternoon when I visit Dauntless."

"That is all good and well, but what does you forcing a relationship with a Dauntless member have to do with the rest of the people not wanting to fuck with other faction members President Prior?" Marcus asks.

"I want to show, no… be a leader on interacting with other faction members. It is amazing what you learn when you talk to other people. I am not forcing a relationship. If I find no one from Dauntless wants to hang out with me, then and only then can we discuss possibly changing the policy"

Marcus huff in frustration, like I am making his life difficult. He continues, "The logistics of it all makes it too difficult to have a relationship together anyways. Some people do not have the resources you have President Prior." Considering I use public transportation to get around, and not government vehicles that is a ridiculous statement.

"I assure you," Sophie Miranda utters, a council member from the Ingenious Faction who is usually shy, but according to Leon is brilliant in her work in Construction. She continues, after pushing her much too large glasses up on her noise, "We are working to make public transportation better across the state of Illinois. We were a little taken back by how much work we need to do in improving factions' transportation. Did you know Amity likes to ride horses?"

"I did and it's really fun." I genuinely smile in her surprise tone. This shows how little everyone knows about the other factions. "You should try it."

"We welcome guest to ride our horses," Johanna says. "All our wild horses have been properly trained, and many of our Amity members rather take a horse then a car any day."

"This proves my point." Marcus interrupts.

"But," Johanna interrupts back. "We welcome public transportation, as long as it doesn't harm our work."

"I still believe we should reevaluate the policy in the future. Let's propose a year from now, we go over the policy and decide whether we should revoke it. Do we all agree to that?" Amity and Artistry disagree with the idea. Dauntless and Erudite agree we should. Candor and Ingenious surprisingly are unsure. I guess Ingenious faction is struggling to complete the transportation project. It is up to Abnegation to decide, which we are split, but my mother shockingly remains silent.

"I don't want us to go backwards," making my last plea.

"I agree with President Prior. We should give the policy some time," my Mother responds.

"Of course you would side with your daughter." Jeanine Mathews states unfavorably.

"It must be amazing to you that despite the fact that my daughter is President, I have a mind to think with." My Mother sarcastically says to Jeanine. My Mother was never a fan of Jeanine.

An Artistry member signals me to check the time. I see it is lunch time. "Since it is 12:00 pm, we should break for lunch. Afterwards, we will discuss any propose polices people have suggested this pass month. Meeting adjourned," I tiredly announce, but I am not done with Marcus. That was the first time he tried to take over a meeting, and that will surely be his last. "Council Member Eaton, may I speak to you in private?"

"Yes President Prior."

We exit the meeting room, to enter a smaller office that thankfully it is not occupied, where he closes the door. "How dare you try to take over a meeting?!" Marcus passive face turns a bit deadly, making me nervous, but I will not back down. "What are you doing?"

He approaches me purposefully, until he is right in front of me. I cross my arms to have some space between me and him, but I do not break eye contact. "Beatrice, I had a feeling you were going to propose the Factionless policy you brought up in our last Abnegation meeting." My face slightly falls, but I still hold firm. "Your face tells me what I suspect. You were going to go behind my back and propose the policy despite my concerns."

"I am the President of Illinois. I was voted by the people. I'm allowed to make proposals without your permission." I firmly state. Marcus then places his hand on my shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. I doubt this is a kind gesture.

"I understand how difficult this job is. I saw how stressed your father was day in and day out. But I want to remind you that your father's death was no accident. He overstepped his bounds Beatrice. He thought he could tell people how to act and live, even though many of the Council disagree-"

"No he didn't!" I interrupt. "He gave people the freedom to act and live how they want. Council members may have disagreed at first, but many changed their minds after understanding the benefits of factions interacting with each other more." I defend.

"I see it differently, but either way, your father tried to change the faction system and murdered because of it. He was shot by a person who disagreed. Do you want the same fate?" I don't understand what Marcus is doing. Is he threatening me or is he trying to warn me? I was told the man who shot my father had a mental illness, but Marcus was making it sound like my Father made an enemy. I don't know what to think, but I am not ready to have this conversation. I decide to give in.

"No I don't."

"Then it is best you do not make your Factionless proposal, at least not yet. Let's see how the Relationship Freedom Act plays out for a little while longer. I do believe in the policy, but sometimes I have to challenge you to make sure you are on the right path."

"I thank you for that." That is a complete lie. I rather have an ally then someone who finds the need to challenge me in front of the council meeting without any warning. Many of the council members already don't respect me for no reason. I don't need Marcus to give them reason.

He squeezes my shoulder again and turns away to exit the room. But before he opens the door, he has one more thing to say, "I actually think your idea to go out with a member of Dauntless is a good one. It shows you will take charge as a leader, and many people will follow. People are probably scared to. There is actually a young man who you should meet. A good Dauntless man. He works in the control room, but also is one of their trainers, highly respected in his faction. He was even voted to be leader, but didn't take it. At least that was what Max told me. I think his name is….Four… that's right Four. I remember he had a unique name, but everyone in Dauntless seems to have a distinctive name. You should ask him out."

"I will have to look him up." Marcus is please with my answer, and then leaves the office. I release the breath I was holding during the encounter.

Who is Four? Why do Evelyn and Marcus know so much about him? And why do they want me to go out with him?

Unless, they had a son. I remember his name being Tobias. He was quiet. I never knew him. He was older than me and after his mother 'died', I rarely saw him. I know he left the faction when he turned 18, but I have no idea where he went. Maybe it is Four, but why would he change his name?

What am I talking about; he probably wants to get away from his crazy parents. How do they know so much about him as an adult though? You can look up people in the State database as council members. Evelyn probably does it illegally. But the person dictates what goes in the database.

I looked him up after Evelyn suggested him to me, but I found nothing except his name, Four, no last name, his faction, and his job. He didn't even have a picture. If it is not Tobias, why would Marcus and Evelyn want me to meet Four?

I seldom curse because my upbringing wouldn't allow it, but this is the perfect occasion for it.

"What the fuck is going on?"


End file.
